Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A-type resource record
A line (record) in a computer's Domain Name System Database
that maps a computer's domain name (host name) to an IP sddress
in a DNS zone.
ActiveX (TM)
An umbrella term for Microsoft technologies that enable developers
to create interactive content for the World Wide Web.
application programming interface (API)
A set of routines that an application program uses to request and
carry out lower-level services performed by another component, such as
the computer's operating system or a service running on a network computer.
auditing
Tracking activities of users by recording selected types of events in
the security log of a server or a workstation.
authentication
Validation of user's logon information. Authentication is used to enforce
selective permission to access resources or to perform an operation.
backup domain controller (BDC)
In a Windows NT Server domain, a computer running Windows NT Server
that receives a copy of the domain's directory database, which contains
all account and security policy information for the domain.
The copy is synchronized periodically and automatically with the master copy
on the primary domain controller (PDC). BDCs also authenticate user logons
and can be promoted to function as PDCs as needed. Multiple BDCs can exist
on a domain. See also domain controller: primary domain controller.
bandwidth
In communications, the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies
in a given range. For example, a telephone line accommodates a bandwidth of
3000 Hertz (Hz), the difference between the lowest (300 Hz) and highest
(3300 Hz) frequencies it can carry. In computer networks, greater bandwidth
indicates faster data-transfer capability and is expressed in bits per second (bps).